Michigan House committee formed to focus on Detroit bankruptcy

A new House committee focused on Detroit’s exit from bankruptcy and its future recovery was created today by House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall.

“As the House considers support to help resolve Detroit’s bankruptcy and secure its recovery, we need to ensure taxpayers statewide are protected and Detroit’s success is assured,” Bolger said in a statement. “We are putting a strong team in place to resolve this difficult issue today with a vision for a bright future.”

The House is expected this week to introduce a 10-bill package that will include funding to help resolve the city’s bankruptcy, as well as continued financial oversight. This committee will handle those bills.

The lawmaker responsible for crafting those bills, Rep. John Walsh, R-Livonia, will chair this new committee, called “Detroit’s Recovery and Michigan’s Future.”

“Detroit is still a driver of economic activity in the Great Lakes region, and its failures and successes impact all of Michigan,” Walsh said in a statement. “We are taking action to ensure its bankruptcy is a new beginning rather than an end. We will bring ideas to the table and vet those ideas through a transparent committee process, and find the best solution to protect taxpayers.”